On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back state Rep. Joshua Peters.

The St. Louis Democrat represents Missouri’s 76th House District, which takes in a portion of north St. Louis City. He was first elected to the House in a 2013 special election before being re-elected in 2014 and 2016.

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State Rep. Joshua Peters joins the Politically Speaking podcast.

Peters’ district includes neighborhoods that have struggled for years with crime and poverty. A combined 32 homicides took place in 2016 in Wells-Goodfellow, Walnut Park and Baden. From what police officials have told Peters, drugs are driving both property crimes and violent crime throughout north St. Louis.

In addition to being a legislator, Peters works with the St. Louis Labor Council, helping collect signatures for a statewide petition to undo the new “right-to-work” law which bars unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues.

Here's what Peters had to say during the show:

Peters also said young people are turning to drug dealing because there aren’t jobs available to them. “Right now, what you’re seeing is someone literally trying to survive and make a living trying to take care of their family,” Peters said.

He also said the hundreds of vacant buildings throughout north St. Louis is making it harder to stamp out the drug trade. “We’re creating an environment in north St. Louis where someone can run into a building, do their dope, do their heroin and then leave,” he said. “And that’s the reality of what’s taking place. So we have to clean up our city.”

One way to fight crime in his district is providing more money for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office. The Democratic official received a million dollars less for staffing in this year’s budget than what she requested. And her personnel budget was cut by more than $88,000 compared to last year’s budget.

Peters says state government can help by applying for federal grants aimed at deterring people from doing drugs.

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